Bottle-stopper.



No. 694,!3l. Patented Feb. 25, 1902.

J. &. J. A. BUTKUS.

BOTTLE STOPPER.

(Application filed Apr. 1, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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' JOSEPH BUTKUS AND JOHN A. BUTKUS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 694,131, dated February 25, 1902. Application filed April 1, 1901- Serial No. 53,795. (No model.)

To to whom, it may OOH/06772;.

Be it known that we, J OSEPH BUTKUS and J OHN A.BUTKUs,eitizens of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention-is an improvement in that class of metal bottle-stoppers which are expanded to fill an annular groove formed within the mouth of a bottle; and its object is to provide a construct-ion of metal stopper of this character provided with a cork sealing-collar so arranged with respect to the metallic body of the stopper that the said collar when the metallic body is expanded into the said groove will be tightly compressed and confined from all directions between the upper edge of the bottle-mouth and an outwardly-projecting rim of the stopper and'between a downwardlyprojeoting flange on the stopper and the vertical wall of the stopper-body, thereby closing all the pores or small cracks in the sealing-collar and forming a perfect seal at the said upper edge of the bottle-mouth. The cork collar in the stopper ready to be applied is held in a laterally-compressed condition between the downwardly-projecting annular flange and the vertical side wall of the stopper-body, and after it has been applied to the bottle the collar is compressed vertically between the upper edge of the bottle and the outwardly-projecting stopper-rim.

The invention consists in certain constructions and arrangements of the parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of a bottle-neck and atransverse section of our improved stopper expanded into an annular groove in the mouth of the same. Fig. 2 is a side view of the stopper. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the same. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof. 1 Fig. 5 is a detail side view and also a plan view of the cork sealing-collar, shown detached from the stopper-body. Fig. 6 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 1 and illustrates a slightly-modified form of bottleneck.

The stopper is provided with a hollow cupshaped body a, composed of some ductile metal, such as aluminium, and has an approximately flatclosed bottom I), a circular vertical side wall c, and an upper outwardlyprojecting integral rim d, whose extremity extends downwardly whereby to forman annular clenching and laterally-compressing flange e for the sealing-collar.

' The sealing-collar) of the stopper may be of any suitable material, but is preferably composed of cork and accurately fits around the exterior walls of the metallic stopperbody, as shown in Fig. 3. Said sealing-collar is fitted on said body and is wedged tightly between the flange 0 and side wall a, with its upper edge abutting against the under side of the rim (1, whereby the collar is tightly clenched to the said body and held in a laterally-compressed condition. The said sealing-collar is preferably of such height that when clenched underneath the rim d the lower edge of the collar will come a little short of being flush with the lower annular edge of the said flange e, as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 illustrates one form of a bottle-neck A, in which our improved stopper is adapted to be expanded and whose mouth is provided with an interior annular groove enlargement g and an exterior Wall or head h, which terminates a slight distance below the preferably fiat upper edge of the bottle-mouth, leaving a short annular rim t'.

In practical operation the stopper is deposited by hand or any suitable mechanical feeding device into the mouth of the bottle andis forced in a direct downward direction by a suitable tool (not shown) until its metal bot tom passes the annular groove gin the bottlemouth, whereupon the tool draws or expands the ductile metal into said groove, which securely fastens said stopper in the bottle-mouth without twisting or turning the stopper.

It is to be especially noted that the cork sealing-collar is always held in a laterallycompressed condition between the downwardly-projecting annular flange e and the vertical side wall 0 of the stopper-body,

Whether the stopper is fastened in the bottlemouth or not, and when the stopper is fastened in the bottle-mouth the lower edge of said flange takes around the outside of the bot tle-niouththat is, around the annular rim i-and the sealing-collar is then compressed in a vertical direction between the outwardly-projecting rim d and the upper edge of the bottle-mouth, so that said collar is compressed from all directions, both laterally and vertically, and is confined and kept from spreading. Hence the pores or anysmall cracks that may exist in the cork are effectually closed, as are also any imperfections in the upper edge of the bottle-mouth caused by chipping off the glass, and the bottle is perfectly sealed. It is also to be noted that the stopper is pressed down in the bottle-mouth in a direct vertical direction without any twisting or turning of the stopper. Hence should the upper edge of the bottle-mouth happen to be chipped or otherwise rough the sealing-collar will fill up the rough or chipped places and will not be cut or damaged in any way .by sliding contact with the glass of the said mouth edge, whereas, on the other hand, if the stopper were given a quarter turn to fasten it in the bottle-mouth, so as to enter a bayonet=slot or some similar locking means, the sealing-collar would be cut and damaged by sliding contact with the roughened mouth edge.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated a slightly-modified form of bottle-neck A, which is symmetrically tapered on its exterior, the swell or bead (shown in Fig. 1) being dispensed with.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is-- The combination of a bottle Whose mouth is provided with an interior annular enlargement; and a cup-shaped ductile metallic stopper-body provided with an outwardly and downwardly projecting upper rim and also provided with a sealing-collar wedged and laterally compressed between the side wall of the stopper-body and the downwardly-projectin g portion of the rim, the said stopper-body being expanded into said annular enlargement and vertically compressing, with a direct downward movement, the sealing-collar between the upper edge of the bottle-mouth and the outwardly-projecting portion of the stopper-body rim, whereby the said sealing-collar will be both laterally and vertically compressed without any sliding contact with the upper edge or" the bottle-mouth.

In testimony whereof we affiX our signa= tures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH BUTKUS. JOHN A. BUTKUS.

Witnesses:

CHARLES L. VIETSCH, F. S. STITT. 

